I don't enjoy editing my photos, never have. The part I like about photography is being out with my camera. The part I don't like is coming home to Lightroom and having a billion options to make my photos look a different way. For years, that made me use my Sony camera less, because I knew that every photo I took was just more work for future me.
The fix wasn't a better editing workflow or a different camera. It was deciding not to edit at all. No more RAW, just JPEG.
Anyone who goes down the JPEG straight out of the camera road will sooner or later want to get a Fuji camera. Their film simulations are the whole reason people buy these things. But I don't have a Fuji and I don't plan on spending €1000+ to get one. I've had my Sony RX100 IV for many years and it still holds up well. Its metal body makes it feel light but still substantial and premium.
After using Canon for a very long time, I still sometimes struggle with the menu system of the Sony so I never really dove into all the Creative Styles and other details. Until now.
You can save all your settings into 3 MR (memory recall) slots which makes swapping between them really easy. Here's what I put in each.
Classic Chrome: Muted and a little more flat, great for street photography and grey days.
- Creative Style: Neutral
- Contrast +1
- Saturation −2
- Sharpness −1
- White balance: Daylight, shifted Amber +1 / Magenta +1
- DRO Lv2
Warm & soft: Kind to skin tones with a touch of warmth.
- Creative Style: Portrait
- Contrast −1
- Saturation 0
- Sharpness −2
- White balance: ~5500K, shifted Amber +2 / Green +1
- DRO Lv2
Black and white: The simplest of the three, and the one I reach for most.
- Creative Style: Black & White
- Contrast +1
- Sharpness −1
I shoot everything at −0.3 EV, because the Sony meters a little bright and the extra restraint keeps highlights and color where I want them.
One thing settings can't fake is that dreamy, blooming softness Fuji's look often has. For that I clip a Black Mist 1/4 diffusion filter onto the front of the lens with a magnetic adapter.
The result isn't a perfect Fuji impression. But it's consistent across a whole day of shooting, and I'm finished the moment I press the shutter. I import, pick the good ones, and I'm done.